Cup of Empowerment 7/09/12

Not every morning is calm, drinking a cup of tea, listening to the birds and feeling everything is going our way. Sometimes we receive news that is not in our plans and causes us to get distressed. How do we handle it?

If I put myself into Naomi’s place in the book of Ruth and my husband announces to me we are ‘sojourning’ or visiting Moab, I think I would have responded…”Are you kidding me? Even though there is a famine here in Bethlehem, Judah; we all know that Moab represents death and false god worship. We have a covenant with Jehovah God! What are you thinking? In fact, the Moabites sacrifice their children to these gods! Don’t you realize we have two sons? And you want to vacation in Moab?!”

God had a plan. He knew that Ruth would marry into Noami’s family and be widowed. God had chosen Ruth, a Moabite to be a part of the lineage of Judah through Boaz, the Redeemer. She being a widow and a stranger could open the door to the Gentiles! God establishes the borders or territory of the widow, and Ruth opened the borders of salvation to many of us! What a plan!

Ruth had a servant’s heart and sowed love into Naomi’s life, which brought healing and restoration. Ruth followed Naomi’s mentoring and ended up making a covenant with the Kinsman Redeemer! She and Boaz had a son named Obed, which means “servant and worshiper.” Obed was the grandfather of King David, also a worshiper and one after the heart of God. Jesus Christ the Messiah came through this lineage and their “vacation in Moab,” and He became the ultimate Redeemer and Savior of the world!

Oh my, when things are not going as I would have planned, I choose to count it all joy and trust Him anyway! The Lord says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:9)

He continues in verse 13, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Instead of a worthless thorn, our situations can become a cypress tree. Cypress wood is used in the temple and for instruments of worship! And instead of an ugly brier, God calls it forth to be a myrtle tree, which has beautiful long lasting flowers!

His plans are greater and higher! Let’s get above the storm and the ugliness of the situation and see as God sees. Once Naomi shifted out of her complaints and into gratitude, she was able to enjoy the plan and the vacation!

Resting in Him,

CarolMarie

P.S. Would you like to learn more about this story? Consider purchasing our DVD or CD teaching of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO NAOMI.

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